The Community Church

of Santa Rosa Beach P. O. Box 1723

(3524 U.S. Highway 98 W) Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

Phone: (850) 267-2599 FAX: (888) 398-5768 Email: info@srbcc.com

Web Site: www.srbcc.com

NOVEMBER 2015 T H E

C O M M U N I C A T O R

Pastor Pete’s Ponderings: Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us. I know you’re not ready to hear it. But

our calendars have already begun to fill up with holiday events and family gatherings. You’ll see in this newsletter that we will be decorating the church for Christmas at the end of the month as well as some Thanksgiving events.

I think it is appropriate that Thanksgiving begins the holiday season, for being thankful is the basis for our celebrations. I am not sure this order was planned or just happened.

Let’s take a few moments and think about the holiday celebrations. We gather our families – large, small, immediate, extended – for a time of feasting because we are thankful for them and the abundance and blessings of life. Though it may be an arduous task if the event is held at our house, we are thankful.

Then comes the time of giving. In our society, Christmas is almost exclusively about giving gifts. Though it has been perverted to a huge shopping frenzy, the concept of giving is at its core.

We give because the wise men brought gifts in honor of the Christ child. They brought gifts in gratitude for whatever this special child might do or be in the world. They may not have truly understood who he was; they were thankful for His coming and, therefore, gave gifts to Him in honor and praise.

You see, true thankfulness results in an attitude of giving. The two are intertwined. The more thankful we are for a person or organization, the more we are willing to give to them.

The same is true for our relationship with God. The more thankful we are for what God continues to do for us through His son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, the more we are willing to give of our time, talent and material blessings to see His message spread and flourish.

How thankful are we? The proof is in our giving.

-- Pastor Pete

“MONDAYS WITH PETE”

If you’d like to receive Pastor Pete’s Monday morning e-mail devotional “Mondays with Pete”, please send your e-mail address to him at pastor@srbcc.com OR...you can read his weekly devotional on the church website under “Pete’s Blog” or on the church’s Facebook page.

COMING IN WORSHIP

November 1st – 23rd Sunday after Pentecost All Saints Day

Communion Sunday Mark 12: 28-34 “A New Test”

November 8th – 24th Sunday after Pentecost

Mark 10: 17-31 “Jesus Meets Henry”

November 15th – 25th Sunday after Pentecost

Pastor Don Ullrich

November 22nd – 26th Sunday after Pentecost Thanksgiving Sunday

Matthew 6: 25-33 “Don’t Worry, Give Thanks”

November 24th – South Walton Ministerial As-

sociation Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service 7pm - St. Rita Catholic Church

November 29th – 1st Sunday of Advent

Advent Series: Signs of Christ’s Coming Luke 21: 25-36

“A Fig Tree Sprouts Leaves”

Pastor Pete’s Wednesday lunch time study begins at 11:45am and is studying the book of James. (Bring your lunch as we eat first.)

Pastor Pete’s Wednesday evening study is work-ing on Experiencing the Heart of Jesus by Max Lucado at 6:30pm.

STEWARDSHIP OF TIME & TALENTS

We thank the following individuals for assist-ing with activities & duties in November:

Communion Servers (Nov. 1st) - Deacons & Ushers Communion Preparer - Anita Sloan Lay Reader - Nancy Gehrke Pew Maintenance - Velma Riehle & Joy Martin Mission Deliveries - Deanna Wolverton Fellowship Dinner Kitchen Crew - Sue Bell, Kay Hyde & Trish Hopson

PLEDGE CARDS AND TIME AND TALENT SUR-VEYS NEED TO BE TURNED INTO THE CHURCH OFFICE NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30TH.

DEADLINE TO

TURN IN YOUR SHOE BOXES

IS SUNDAY, NOV. 15TH

Monday, Nov. 9th is the deadline for food dona-tions to Caring & Sharing for their Thanksgiving Bags. Items in a typical bag include turkey or ham, stuffing mix, canned or boxed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, chicken broth, canned yams, green beans, peas, carrots and fruit, and dessert. Bring your items to the church or take them directly to Caring & Shar-ing to brighten some family’s Thanksgiving! Monetary donations to purchase turkeys and hams are particu-larly appreciated! Thanks!

Joe Bradburn The monthly prayer group will meet at 5pm on November 8th in the sanctuary.

CHURCH DIRECTORY ON THE WEB!

The church photo and address directory is now on a password-protected page on our church website. Simply select the “Church Directory” tab from the “About Us” list, and enter srbcc as the password. The directory will be available to you in PDF format. You may print any or all of the pages, if you wish. If you do not have access to the internet and need a printed copy, contact the church office.

Now would be a great time to attend a Bible Study on Sunday mornings at 8:45am!

Pastor Pete’s Sunday School Class meets in Classroom 209 and is beginning a study of the General Letters to the Church – 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude.

The Men’s Sunday School Class is studying Genesis this quarter. They meet in the upstairs lounge, Room 206.

The Ladies’ Sunday School Class continues their study of the spiritual gifts and meets in Classroom 208 upstairs. They will begin an Advent study on Sunday, Nov. 30th.

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE As a mission to our Hispanic congregation, El Shaddai, we are looking for those willing to lead and teach an English as a Second Lan-guage class. If you are interested in helping with this new mission, please come to the ori-entation meeting at the church on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd at 9:30am. SPECIAL NOTE: You don’t have to know any foreign language to be able to teach. Training will be provided.

The church offices will be closed on Friday, Nov. 20th and for Thanksgiving week from Tuesday through Fri-day, Nov. 24th - 27th.

LET’S DECORATE THE CHURCH We will be decorating the church for Christ-mas on Monday, November 23rd begin-

ning at 9am. We’ll need lots of help to make this process go smoothly and efficiently. Please try to make some time to help get our church ready for the holidays.

BROOKDALE/CRYSTAL BAY

DEVOTIONAL SCHEDULE

Nov. 03rd - Gail Pettus

Nov. 10th - Linda Fullerton Nov. 17th - Charlie Earles

Nov. 24th - no meeting

Our sympathy and prayers are extended to . . ...Patti Witbeck, family and friends, upon the death of her husband, Norm Witbeck. ...Don Ullrich, family and friends, upon the death of his sister-in-law.

PRESCHOOL UPDATES

This month brings us the beginning of the holiday season along with parent/teacher confer-

ences. The conferences are a wonderful way for the parents and teachers to work together

in the development of our students. Also, this month we will be having our Thanksgiving

Feast! The feast will be on Thursday, November 19 at 12:00. This feast gives our preschool

families a time to fellowship and eat some fantastic food! We just completed our fall con-

signment sale. It is an awesome fund raiser for our school! A big thank you to the parents

that work so hard on this event for our preschool. Their dedication is amazing. Thank you

to the church members for sharing the space needed for this sale. Have a wonderful Thanks-

giving!

Robin Vaughn, Director

Join us Sundays at 9:30am for morning coffee, treats and fel-lowship in the reception area before we go into worship.

The Vision Team has been working hard to look at the future of our church. They have looked at our Statement of Faith to define who we are and our Mission State-ment to state what we are going to ac-complish. In this stage we will begin

looking at the programs and ministries of our church asking if they help us accomplish our mission. With the approval of the 2016 budget, we will be concentrating on how to integrate an Associate Pastor into our ministries. Everyone is welcome to attend, bring input, and participate in the discussions. Contact Pastor Pete for more information.

If you have any bookends that you’d like to donate to the

church, we need several sets in the

church library. Thank you!!

The next scheduled meetings of the Fi-

nance Committee and Board of Deacons

will be held on Monday, November 23rd

at 5:30pm and 6pm respectively. Re-

member that these are open meetings

and the congregation is invited to attend.

MEMORIALS/HONOR GIFTS… During October, donations were given to the church as follows:

In memory of Clyde Pascher by Bob & Sue Gurske, Velma Riehle, Jeanetta Loyall, Betty Krika,

Sue Bell, Marie Starks, Joe & Nancy Knight, Don & Nancy Gehrke, Hank & Vicki Schofield,

Drs. Robert Stainback & Judy LaMarche, Art & Marty Dees, Ethel Harper, Larry & Cynthia

Draper, Jim & Mary Sue Fortner, Hal & Myra Rhodes, Dennis & Judy Stephens, Sam & Arden

McCleskey, Jim & Trish Hopson, Keith & Roseann Knight, Pete & Kay Hyde, Diane Goldsby,

Barbara Hendricks, Francis & Brenda Berdine, Pete & Chotsy Mercer, Don & Dorothy

Andrews, Bill Haynes & Joan Rockwell, Kent & Patty Laflin, Don & Dot Taylor.

In Memory of Norm Witbeck by Carol Conzen, Jeffrey & Margaret Preyers, Diane Goldsby,

Pete & Kay Hyde, Betty Pascher, Dr. John Lamberson, Jim & Trish Hopson, Betty Krika,

Ed & Fran Van Buren, William & Marsha Witbeck, Tom & Doris Odom, Barbara &

Scott McFee, Don & Dot Taylor, Greater Driftwood Estates HOA

In Memory of John Starks by Marie Starks

PLEASE KEEP the following people on our Prayer List in your thoughts and prayers:

Please pray for: church/associate members: Pastor Pete, Carolyn Latham, Jan Rundquist, Thyra Whitford, Doris Mueller, Sharon Sutherland, Marie Starks, Susan McGinnis, Dennis & Judy Ste-phens, Robbie Rogers, Velma Riehle, Bill Stephenson, Oren & Gerry Rector; friends & relatives:

.Lloyd Boneck, Andy Cowan, Beth Altobellis, Father Frank Cooper, Juanita Standefer, Marshall Lauen, Susan Walk-er, Noah Vick, Laura Ruth, Carolyn & Terry Padgette, Frances Marie Burnette, Bryant Mather, Denise Stokes, Dick Gorby, Karen DesJardins, Marjorie Heppner, Gary Guidry, Mary Ann Dawson, Marie Ann Godeke, Fran Riehle, John Bartozs & family, Blake, Mollie Shepard, Kathy Colcord, Estelle Dinkins, Wendy Dean, Leslie Moon, Jim Borchert, Patti Kunkel, Irmgard Lee, Cathy Bullen, Mary Lenning, Don & Linda DeBerry, Ethel Hollencamp, Linda Wiselogel, Todd Brown, Rene Sendelbach, Jamie To, Kelli Teipel, ALL human beings being persecuted by ISIS, Vickey McCorkle, Brenda Noling.

Thanksgiving for prayers answered: Anna Olson

When a person wants to be taken off the Prayer List, please contact the Church Office and the individual’s name will be moved to the “Thanksgiving List.” Remember, also, that our Prayer Chain is available for additional special focus and prayer. Just call the Church Office (267-2599) for special prayer requests.

GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYERS!!

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 CARING & SHARING SUNDAY 8:45am Bible Study 9:30am Fellowship 10am Worship Svc w/Communion 4pm CCW Bingo 7pm-El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

2 6pm Cub Scouts Den Meetings 7pm-El Shaddai Pray-er Serv. (chapel)

3 9:30am ESL Team Meeting

4 10am Ladies Bible Stdy 11:45am Bible Study 5:30pm Choir Reh. 6:30pm Bible Study 7pm-El Shaddai Praise Practice (chapel)

5 2pm Bulletin Folding 5:30pm Daisy Troop 7pm El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

6

7

8 8:45am Bible Study 9:30am Fellowship 10am Worship Svc 5pm Prayer Meeting 7pm-El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

9 9am Vision Team 12:45pm CCW Meeting 6pm Cub Scouts Den Meetings 7pm-El Shaddai Prayer Serv. (chapel)

10

11 10am Women’s Bible Study 5:30pm Choir Reh. 7pm-El Shaddai Praise Practice (chapel)

12 2pm Bulletin Folding 7pm El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

13

14

15 CARING & SHARING SUNDAY 8:45am Bible Study 9:30am Fellowship 10am Worship Svc 11am Fellowship Dinner 7pm-El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

16 6pm Cub Scouts Den Meetings 7pm-El Shaddai Pray-er Serv. (chapel)

17

18 10am Women’s Bible Study 11:45am Bible Study 5:30pm Choir Reh. 6:30pm Bible Study 7pm-El Shaddai Praise Practice (chapel)

19 Noon Preschool Thanksgiving Feast 2pm Bulletin Folding 5:30pm Daisy Troop Thanksgiving Feast 7pm El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

20 Office Closed

21

22 8:45am Bible Study 9:30am Fellowship 10am Worship Svc 7pm-El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

23 9am Decorate the Church for Christ-mas 5:30pm Finance Committee Mtg 6pm Deacons Mtg 7pm-El Shaddai Pray-er Serv. (chapel)

24 Office Closed

25 Office Closed 7pm-El Shaddai Praise Practice (chapel)

26 Thanksgiving Day - Office Closed 7pm El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

27 Office Closed

28

29 8:45am Bible Study 9:30am Fellowship 10am Worship Svc 7pm-El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

30 2pm Newsletter & Bulletin Folding 6pm Cub Scouts Pack Meeting 7pm-El Shaddai Pray-er Serv. (chapel)

1 9:30am Congrega-tional Care Com-mittee

2 10am Women’s Bible Study 11:45am Bible Study 5:30pm Choir Reh. 6:30pm Bible Study 7pm-El Shaddai Praise Practice (chapel)

3 5pm Missions Commit-tee 5:30pm Daisy Troop 7pm El Shaddai Hispanic Ministry (chapel)

4

5

Preschool in Session: 9:00

Preschool Out - Thanksgiving Holiday

Community Church Calendar

November 2015

School Holiday

Preschool in Session: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Preschool in Session: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Preschool in Session: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Preschool in Session: 9:00 am

School

Holiday

We are blessed to be part of a congregation that under-stands the importance of missions! This month you have an opportunity to participate in Op-eration Christmas Child by filling a shoebox for a child in another part of the world. The shoebox will not only in-clude the gifts you fill it with, but will also include a Bible Study course explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Boxes are due to the church by November 15. We have another opportunity to make Christmas brighter for the children in our El Shaddai congregation. Please consider making a monetary donation to this project so that parents can shop for their children. Checks should include Children’s Christmas on the memo line. We have added three new missions to our budget for next year. These include ESL (English as a second lan-guage) courses for our El Shaddai congregation, Wyc-liffe Bible Translators, and Sus Hijos. Dot Taylor is heading up the ESL program. If you would like to partici-pate in this hands-on mission project, please contact Dot (850-622-1538) or Pastor Pete at the church office. You do not have to be able to speak Spanish to participate in this project. Our contributions to Wycliffe Bible Translators will go to provide support to Annie and Kim Colich who are trans-lating the Bible into the Tami language for the people of Papua New Guinea. Annie is the daughter of Joan Car-penter, a new member of our congregation. You will have the opportunity to meet Annie and Kim when they visit our church in late November. Our other new mission is Sus Hijos, whose mission is to love, give hope and minister to the orphaned, imprisoned and abandoned children of El Salvador by meeting their spiritual and physical needs through the grace and love of Jesus Christ. Judy and John Skinner, part-time resi-dents of Santa Rosa Beach and part-time residents of San Salvador, are missionaries with the Sus Hijos organ-ization. If you were in the worship service on October 18, you heard a little bit about Judy and John because they were included in my “Favorite Saints” list. They will talk with our congregation sometime before returning to El Salvador at the end of December. Thank you for your support to the missions of our church! Susan Hall, Deacon of Missions

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Nov. 01 - Trish Hopson Nov. 02 - Mary Rieke Nov. 03 - Esther Mapes Nov. 04 - Mo Davis Nov. 05 - Larry Draper Nov. 07 - Angie Autrey Nov. 09 - Carol Dickson Nov. 15 - Mike McIntyre Nov. 16 - Betty Smith Nov. 17 - Gail Pettus Nov. 18 - Cheryl Freeze Nov. 19 - Arden McCleskey Nov. 20 - Robert Stainback Nov. 21 - Dennis Stephens Nov. 26 - Kathy Romero Nov. 29 - Patty Laflin

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO: Nov. 09 - Richard & Hilda Kimmons

CCC's next meeting is December 1st at 9:30am at the home of Janie Beal. We will be planning our outreach for the holidays. Everyone is welcome to attend. Our committee volunteers are: Janie Beal, Chairperson, Diane Goldsby, Jim Hopson, Betty Krika, Jean Rice, Margaret Rogers, Dot Taylor, and Doris Tharpe. We especially want to thank Diane Goldsby for her stewardship, devotion, and lead-ership as our past chairperson. If you are interest-ed in helping us with our outreach and mission programs, please contact me at 850-865-1186 or email me at congre-care@srbcc.com. Thank you, Kathy Romero, Deacon of Congregational Care

Community Church Cruisers Upcoming Opportunities

Community Cruiser season is coming up. Here are some ideas for some great evening and over-night outings. If you are interested in any of these, please let us know so we can start making more definite plans. Also, if you have any other ideas, let Pastor Pete know.

November 6th: Blue Angels Air Show in Pensacola - deadline to sign up Nov. 1st TODAY!

January 23rd: Dukes of Dixieland – Mattie Kelley Arts Auditorium in Niceville

March 13th: Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat – Mattie Kelley

Monroeville, Alabama: To Kill a Mockingbird Play

Belingrath Gardens Christmas light tour – Mobile, Alabama

Biltmore Christmas – Asheville, North Carolina

Savannah or St. Augustine

Billy Graham Training/Worship event – Asheville, North Carolina

Community Church Women (CCW)

We chose a pork butt sale for our first fundraiser and all 34 butts sold!!!

Thank you all so much for supporting our 1st mission fundraising project this year.

Our October Activity included dinner at AJ's, followed by a sunset sailing cruise. What a grand time we all had together (21 of us). And the weather, wind and Dolphins all cooperated beautifully. :-)

Our November Activity was Carnival BINGO!!! on Sunday, Nov. 1st at the church at 4pm. Food and drinks (water, lemonade, soda, coffee, tea) were available. Each person purchased a gift (under $5) at one of our local mission stores (Path of Grace, Caring & Sharing, Haven House). And then, BINGO!!! Everyone eventually won a gift to take home. We had 32 signed up! Fun, fun, fun!!!

An ADDED November Activity is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19th, at 11am in the church Fellowship Hall. Tim Ryan (a professional florist and friend to many at the church) is returning to help us all create our own special holiday floral arrangement to take home. Decorate for family and friends with this lovely floral decoration . Our menu for this occasion will be potluck. Cost is $30 for all materials. Plus, Tim will answer any questions you may have regarding flowers of all kinds and their care.

Please mark your calendars for our next meeting: Monday, Nov. 9th at 12:45 in the Fellowship Hall.

Jan Rundquist, President Nancy Jo Willis, Secretary Betty Pascher, Vice President Trish Hopson, Treasurer

THE COMMUNITY CHURCH (3524 U.S. Highway 98 West) Post Office Box 1723 Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

TO:

Grow in Your Faith –

Get into the WORD! Sunday Morning Pastor’s Study — 8:45 am, Room 209,

Facilitator: Pastor Pete, Current Study: General Letters

Sunday Morning Men’s Study — 8:45 am, Room 206, Facilitator: varies, Current Study: Genesis

Sunday Morning Ladies’ Study — 8:45 am, Room 208, Facilitator: Susan Hall, Current Study: Spiritual Gifts Sunday Evening Adult Study — on break until January Wednesday Morning Ladies’ Study - 10am, Room 209, Facilitator: Jen Kelley, Current Study: Behold Your God

Wednesday Noon Adult Study — 11:45 am, Room 209, Facilitator: Pastor Pete, Current Study: James

Wednesday Night Adult Study — 6:30 pm, Room 209, Facilitator: Pastor Pete, Current Study: Experiencing the

Heart of Jesus, by Max Lucado